Show Me the Profit

The only way to build something profitable over the long term is to make consistent, repeated, difficult, right choices over the long term. Sustained profitability takes time - a lot of it.

I define profitability in much broader terms than just financial. Profit can be tangible or intangible – concrete or more abstract. Profit simply means that the return you get from a particular endeavor is more valuable than the investment you made into it. This applies to relationships, families, business culture, teamwork, checkbooks and even objects we purchase. Any time you catch yourself quietly musing “That was totally worth it” (and not in an emotional apex moment) you’ve found something that was profitable.

We can tease this concept of intangible profitability out to as far an extent as possible, determining over a lifetime whether we feel our lives themselves have been profitable. No doubt, asking someone toward the end of their life which elements they view as profitable would lend drastically different answers than asking someone who believes they have 50-60 years left to go. Our perception of intangible profitability surely changes over time.

Waste is something that literally makes my stomach turn. However, we do need to seriously consider the idea of waste in every area of our lives we desire to be profitable. This means reducing our costs, finding more effective processes and learning how to use our resources in the most efficient ways possible. But on a more fundamental level, this means choosing the right endeavors to invest in from the start.

Considering these points, here are a few questions I’ve been asking myself:

How do I personally define “profit”? How does this definition change when I consider tangible vs. intangible profit?

Which endeavors do I need to just quit because they are wasteful? Is it a job? A relationship? An investment?

If I made a list of the activities that I’m investing my resources into on a daily basis, which ones would I earmark as profitable and which ones would fall into the “Waste” column?

If I want to be in a position of financial, emotional, intellectual and spiritual profitability, what changes do I need to make to my resource investments in order to reduce wasteful activities and increase profitable ones?

In which areas of my life do I need a reminder that profitability does take time, consistency and patience? Where am I rushing?

Lean forward,

Bekka